Seeing the oak in the acorn: Appreciative Intelligence a new model for problem solving

Posted onMay 31, 2006|Comments Off on Seeing the oak in the acorn: Appreciative Intelligence a new model for problem solving

Among the tools that mediators bring to the negotiating table the most powerful may be reframing. In the words of Bernie Mayer, “The art of reframing is to maintain the conflict in all its richness but to help people look at it in a more open-minded and hopeful way.”

Appreciative intelligence can be defined as the capability of perceiving the inherent generative potential within a situation at hand. Put simply, appreciative intelligence is the ability to see the mighty oak in the acorn. It is the capacity to see a strong trunk and countless leaves emerging from this small nut as time unfolds. It is a knack for seeing a breakthrough product, top talent or valuable solution for the future hidden in the present.

This should all sound very familiar to mediators.

Appreciative Intelligence grew out of Appreciative Inquiry, a method for engaging organizations and groups in developing and implementing positive change and achieving potential.

(With thanks to Stephanie West Allen for introducing me to AI and for sharing many of these links. Stephanie is currently working on an interview with Carol Metzker for her blog, Idealawg, to be published soon.)